CARET Legal Reviews

“Everything to run my practice

Pros

What I appreciate is that the app contains everything I require to operate my law firm in a single place. There's no longer any need for a different accounting program or a separate time-tracking tool. Everything I use is centralized in one platform.

Cons

There are a few features that don't feel as user friendly as I'd prefer. For example I wish I were able to send invoices directly from my phone. So if that's possible, Zola please tell me how! On the plus side, the help center is easy to browse and most of the time I find the answer I am looking for.

“Very easy to use

Pros

Well I am really impressed by how user-friendly it is as everything I need is right at my fingertips. I can log billable time for clients directly through their app so I do not have to try to recall, days later, how many minutes I spent on someones file. In short it is awesome!

Cons

For me, it doesn't sync with my Google Calendar, which is a downside.

“All features far exceed expectations

Pros

I am genuinely impressed because all of Zola's features go well beyond what I expected. Plus having the ability to centralize every facet of my law office into one platform makes day to day operations noticeably easier. Document storage, the database, billing and expense tracking, plus template creation and reuse and email it has everything I need consolidated in a single place, available at the touch of a button, which simplifies so much of the routine work.

Cons

I've run into limitations with emailingit doesn't provide delivery or read receipts. Given how much our practice relies on electronic filing and communication, those kinds of confirmations matter a lot to a law office. There are also numerous app limitations that make it somewhat frustrating for our attorneys, since they can't apply all of our billing codes correctly for the firm, which hampers accurate billing workflows.

“Handles my whole office inexpensively

Pros

My practice runs smoothly with it as I use it to manage every part of my office, front-end and back-end, comprehensively and without breaking the bank.

Cons

There is not a lot I would change but I can point to a few features I'd prefer to be a bit more instinctive but honestly I think it's almost flawless.

“Eliminates multiple windows and products

Pros

this product removes the hassle of juggling multiple windows and relying on a handful of separate software tools. I'm able to draft emails and keep my electronic files organized all inside a single program, which simplifies my workflow.

Cons

I can see a few areas that still need workfor instance, intake forms and client-fillable PDFs aren't fully implemented yet and there are a handful of other features that could use polishing as nevertheless, I believe the software is moving in the right direction.

“Easy to use and understand

Pros

Zola is simple to operate and grasp. It truly lightens my day to day responsibilities as a paralegal.

Cons

I'm bothered that after being idle for a set period, the system signs me out abruptly now. That said, I understand it's important for keeping information confidential.

“has all functions

Pros

After researching numerous programs over an extended period we chose Zola. It brings together all the features and tools we require in a single place to manage our law firm effectively.

Cons

We have not used the email section very much.

“Integrated every function i wanted

Pros

I have found that Zolasuite brings together every capability I was looking for and even a few extras. Overall it is a clean, web-based client management system that's easy to use and navigate.

Cons

The only gripe I have is the way it rearranges my Outlook folders but I expect they'll take another look at that behavior and address it fairly soon.

“Ease of use is simple

Pros

I really like how user-friendly it is. Overall I find the program simple and genuinely easy to navigate.

Cons

However, I get logged out automatically after being idle for a set amount of time, which interrupts my workflow.

“quick learning

Pros

I find it extremely easy to use and very user-friendly, with a quick learning curve.

Cons

Personally, I have no complaints as I don't dislike anything and everyone in my class prefers Zola Suite.

“Really like the native email client

Pros

After trying the demo, I'm really impressed with the built-in email client. It feels like a major step up compared with the Outlook plug-ins that other vendors rely on. The platform seems capable of handling almost everything we need and I would have no hesitation recommending Zola to a friend or coworker who wants to switch case management systems.

Cons

The reporting tools aren't as comprehensive as what I've seen on a few other platforms, which matters for us because we require some very specific reports as it's not a deal-breaker unless you need those exact reports.

“Program is easy to manage

Pros

Overall I am finding the software really easy to manage. I also like that the accounting section shows a clear balance owed for everyone and I even like that it supports adding daily notes for cases or tasks.

Cons

At times it runs slowly, which is frustrating and I ran into an issue where the logo appeared at the wrong size and needed intervention from the support team to correct it. Even so, I generally find the system quite easy to use.

“Many customizable options :)

Pros

As someone who uses the platform daily, I like the wide range of customizable settings, especially within Matters. I created a personalized main menu inside Matters to store the most critical information for quick access. That setup saves me a great deal of time because my team and I frequently need to pull up the same details when talking with defense counsel or other involved parties. The calendar is impressively adaptable too, fitting different scheduling needs. On top of that the customer support is exceptional as they reply fast and walk you through any problems.

Cons

I have no complaints.

“Very easy and self explanatory

Pros

One thing I really like is how incredibly simple it is to use. Also it is user friendly and does not feel intimidating at all. We pretty much jumped in without reading manuals or watching tutorials. We just started using it and it's worked wonderfully for us so far. I am a fan of the integrated accounting features and being able to sync and access my email from within the suite is a huge plus. Switching between cases, billing, email and the calendar is extremely convenient too.

Cons

I'm happy with the program overall, though I have not been thrilled with the calendar feature. There is a tutorial video available but I really haven't found the time to sit down and watch it yet. I do expect that the more I work with the calendar, the more comfortable and user friendly it will become.

“powerful options for billing

Pros

When it comes to billing, I find the tool offers very powerful options that handle routine billing tasks effortlessly, so I use it regularly without hesitation. It even lets me build custom reports tailored to my needs and it includes automatic tracking to keep everything up to date.

Cons

I'm a very satisfied customer with this service and would definitely recommend it to others as I honestly don't have any complaints or drawbacks to point out based on my experience.

“calendar and task features work well

Pros

I find the calendar, task manager and mobile app all function reliably and are easy for the principal and staff to access and sharing and swapping tasks among team members works smoothly.

Cons

When it comes to the financial side, I think it's the weakest areawe ultimately purchased a basic trust accounting program because it wouldn't handle that properly and the billing features failed to integrate as in my experience, other packages handled billing much better.

“User friendly is a fact

Pros

One thing I really appreciate is that Zola Suite feels very user-friendly.

Cons

I find setting up templates to be really difficult and when I reached out customer support wasn't helpful.

“Seamless integration with gmail

Pros

Because I already use Google products, Zola's seamless integration with Gmail and Google Calendar makes it an obvious choice for me. Its task management features and deadline reminders feel solid and give me options to receive alerts either by email or SMS. Honestly it's been a lifesaver for my firm since we have so many regular and occasionally recurring deadlines that need close attention.

Cons

Unfortunately, I found that email sorting is only manualthere aren't automatic filters for tagging or organizing messages so I end up spending a lot of time manually linking emails to the right cases.

“favorite thing is access anywhere

Pros

What I really appreciate about this program is that I can pull up any case and its documents no matter where I am. Another big plus for me is being able to link emails right to cases, which saves me from digging through my inbox every time I need to revisit something.

Cons

One negative for me is that I wish there was a way to save attachments directly from Outlook into the case management system without an extra step. Personally, I find navigating Outlook much easier than the email module tied to Zola and it would be so much more convenient to store attachments straight into a case folder instead of first downloading them to my desktop.

“great for billing

Pros

When I get interrupted constantly, it's excellent for handling billing tasks.

Cons

I find the frequent updates annoying and I'm bothered by the daily popup that asks me to rate the software every single day.